Fruit Leather

This recipe calls for apricots but can be applied to other fruits as well. 

2 cups apricots, pitted and diced

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees F, or oven’s lowest setting. 

2.  Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. 

3. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. 

4. Using a 11x17 pan lines with a Silpat, pour the mixture into the pan and spread with a spatula (or a cake frosted works great) to get the desired thickness of your fruit leather. 

5. Place in oven for 4-6 hours, until the leather is no longer sticky. Keep the oven propped open with a wooden spoon. 

6.  Remove from oven and allow to cool. Place on wax paper and roll up. Cut into smaller pieces with kitchen scissors or a aerated knife. 

Lemon curd

This curd is great with tea scones.  The flavor is intense and so fresh!

2 large lemons, juiced
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 and 1/4 tsp lemon zest (from lemons above)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup cold butter, diced

1. In a saucepan combine the lemon zest and the sugar.
2. Whisk in the yolks and then the whole eggs.  Add salt.
3. Slowly add the lemon juice from the lemons. The mixture will be thick.
4. Put the saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously, until thickened. The mixture will physically change from just thick and light to more bubbly and thick.
5. Remove from heat and add bits of butter while whisking until all butter is added and melted.
6. Let cool and enjoy!

This recipe is simplified and based off of the recipe at cafejohsonia.

Pickled Jalepeños w/ Onions and Carrots (Escabeche)

While these jars may not be as showy as the jewel-like peach jam, they are packed full of flavor and my favorite way to preserve jalepeños, not to mention carrots! Superb on tacos or as a garnish for mole.

1 lb (10-12 good sized) jalepeños
3 regular sweet onions (or 2 large)
4 medium carrots
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
4 cups vinegar (apple cider or white)
2 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp sugar

1. Prepare 5 pint jars, lids, and rims and a hot water bath for canning.

2. Remove stems from jalepeños, quarter and clean out seeds. (Wearing rubber gloves for this is very helpful.) Peel garlic and cut in half. Slice onions and carrots into thick slices.

3. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add jalepeños, onions, and carrots and sauté for 7 minutes. Add oregano and sauté an additional three minutes.

4. Add the vinegar, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the jalepeños are cooked through (a dull olive green - no longer vibrant green).

5. Fill 4 - 5 pint jars with jalepeños and veggies. Pour vinegar mixture from the skillet equally into jars and seal. Process in the hot water bath fro 10 minutes.

Keep sealed jars on pantry shelf for up to one year. Once opened, keep refrigerated for up to 2 months.

Peach Jam w/ Variations

I am updating this from the 2012 post because I have achieved much better results using the regular pectin. I know it's more sugar, but it just sets up better. Also, I have perfected a couple of the variations below.

8 cups peeled and finely chopped ripe peaches (~12 good-sized peaches, Lemon Elberta peel the easiest)
1/4 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 boxes Sure-Jell pectin*
11 cups sugar (measured into a separate bowl)


- - Makes about 14 half-pints


1. Prepare canning jars and hot water bath / canning pot first. Blanch peaches by submerging each peach in a large pot of boiling water for 30 - 60 seconds; remove with a slotted spoon and submerge in an ice water bath. Remove skins and pits, and finely chop.

2. Pour peaches into a large, heavy bottom stock pot. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and stir until combined, then pectin and stir until combined.

4. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Bring to a full boil that cannot be stirred down (bubbles still rise while stirring well). Add remaining sugar quickly, bring to a full boil again and boil for one minute. Remove from heat.

5. Ladle preserves into hot, sterilized jars (a wide-mouthed canning funnel is oh, so helpful) and seal, allowing for 1/4-inch head space between the preserves and the rims of the jars. Use proper canning procedures if you would like to store jars outside of the fridge. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (half-pints).

Variations
• Bombay: add 4 tsp Garam Masala before the pectin
• Jalepeño: add 4 roasted, peeled, cored, diced jalepeños
• Ginger Lime: add 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger + substitute lime juice for lemon juice


* The directions in the Sure-Jell pectin box really emphasize measuring fruit and sugar exactly and timing the post-sugar one minute boil exactly for best results.

Pear Butter with Star Anise, Ginger, and Cardamom

A variation on traditional pear butter, this recipe emphasizes and compliments the more fragrant, flowery flavor of pears. Delicious!

8 - 10 lbs ripe pears, cored and chopped (remove any bruised parts, do not peel)
2+ cups sugar
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 star anise*
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp nutmeg

1. Process pear chunks in a blender or food processor in small batches to get a smooth pureé. Pour pear pureé into a large, heavy bottom stock pot. Stir in sugar (1/4 cup for every cup of pureé), orange juice concentrate, ginger, star anise, cardamom, and nutmeg. Taste and adjust flavors if necessary.

2. Cook over medium to medium-low heat, stirring often to prevent burning. Reduce heat if mixture spatters a lot. Allow mixture to gently bubble as it thickens. Simmer for 45 minutes - 2 hours. (Pear butter is ready when a small dab on a chilled plate is not runny.) Remove star anise.

3. Ladle pear butter into hot, sterilized jars (a wide-mouthed canning funnel is oh, so helpful) and seal, allowing for 1/4-inch head space between the pear butter and the rims of the jars. Use proper canning procedures if you would like to store jars outside of the fridge. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (half-pints) or 15 minutes (pints).

* I double the star anise because I love the flavor.

The above recipe is a tweaked, simpler version of this recipe.

Traditional Pear Butter

This it a superb way to make use of an abundance of ripe pears. With these spices it tastes very much like traditional apple butter.

8 - 10 lbs ripe pears
2+ cups sugar
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg

1. Process pear chunks in a blender or food processor in small batches to get a smooth pureé. Pour pear pureé into a large, heavy bottom stock pot. Stir in sugar (1/4 cup for every cup of pureé), orange juice concentrate, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Taste and adjust flavors if necessary.

2. Cook over medium to medium-low heat, stirring often to prevent burning. Reduce heat if mixture spatters a lot. Allow mixture to gently bubble as it thickens. Simmer for 45 minutes - 2 hours. (Pear butter is ready when a small dab on a chilled plate is not runny.)

3. Ladle pear butter into hot, sterilized jars (a wide-mouthed canning funnel is oh, so helpful) and seal, allowing for 1/4-inch head space between the pear butter and the rims of the jars. Use proper canning procedures if you would like to store jars outside of the fridge. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (half-pints) or 15 minutes (pints).

The above recipe is a tweaked, simpler version of this recipe.